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Study Groups

Study Groups, Protocol and Ethics.

By: Sheikh Safwat Jaafar
Translated by: Khaled Farid


Recently, we have all been witnessing an explosion of private sites and study groups on social media. The declared purpose of said sites and groups is to interpret, discuss and study the works of Mawlana Sidi Fakhreddin.

Indeed, many of those sites or groups are productive and truly serve the purpose for which they were created. Many others on the other hand offer only a personal, often pedantic, unsupported interpretation of the verses of Sidi Fakhreddin. One cannot help but feel that the proposed interpretation of the verses, as presented in some of those private groups, has only one aim, and that is to demonstrate the self-appointed interpreter’s linguistic skills. Surprisingly, members of that group would then comment on the proposed interpretation by cheering and offering versions of: Madad ya Mawlana,” though they would probably not have understood much. In fact, in many cases, if asked the same question in a different manner, the instructor would not know the answer.

As said, our mashayekhs encourage such study groups, even those that have not been officially sanctioned by the Tariqa’s administration.  But there are rules to be observed:

1.    Proposed interpretations need to be supported and cross-referenced with the Quran and hadith, and/or another one of Mawlana Sidi Fakhreddin’s works.
2.    The interpreter should try to stay away from Circular interpretations. This is where the interpreter loses himself in an unending cycle of references to different verses in other qasidahs until the original purpose of the discussion is all but forgotten. One example of such an interpretation, which can actually be found out there is:  “See Qasidah No. 1 verse 17 where the “Mim” is the heart of “Qaf” which houses “Shin” and “Noun”. The answer is to be found otherwise in Qasidah No. 6 verse 7 and Qasidah No. 60 verse 90 and this is where the heart of the message is to be found.”
3.    Given the above, the interpreter needs to know his audience and address them according to their level of understanding, not his own. The interpreter also needs to make sure his reasoning is easy to follow and that questions are clearly answered. Extremely complex interpretations do not necessarily equal an effective interpretation

4.    Last but not least, the interpreter should have in mind the best interest of the Tariqa, not his own. By our actions, we should be seeking the satisfaction of our beloved Mashayekhs, and not the cheers of our brothers and sisters.
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